Doll eye and method of making



E. H. MICKAM DOLL lEYE AND METHOD OF MAKING Aug. 5, 1958 Filed Feb. 9. 19.56

INVENToR. 5 EL/ZA BETH H ,wc/(AM Wm ATTOR e A 2,845,749 Ice ,j Patented Aug.v5,-1958 DOLL EYE AND METHOD OF MAKING Elizabeth H. Mickam, Cincinnati, Ohio Application February 9, 1956, Serial No. 564,411

Claims. (Cl. 46-165) This invention relates to a doll eye, and more particularly to an eye having a drooping, protruding or overhanging eyelid, and to the method of making same.

The present invention is directed to an eye construction wherein the eye includes an overhanging eyelid portion which projects outwardly over the pupil of the eye.

A further object of the invention is to teach a method of making an eye construction from sheet-like material for providing an eyelid portion which projects outwardly, thereby giving a realistic eyelid effect.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a sheet of material from which the eyelid is to be fashioned.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a mounting sheet to which a circular eye-ball patch has been secured. v

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the eyelid sheet of Fig. l initially secured thereto.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the completed eye construction.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

With particular reference to Fig. l, the numeral denotes generally a patch or piece of material such as, by way of example, felt or the like, suitably cut to a generally circular or oval shape. The numeral 12 denotes an irregular, or serrated, generally arcuate throughcut or slit which provides an upper central portion 14, a lower central portion 16 and interconnecting side portions 18. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the upper ends 20 of cut 12 terminate adjacent a horizontal diameter or a horizontal axis at about the center of the patch, thereby locating the upper central portion 14 in the lower portion of the patch.

The numeral 22 denotes generally a second piece of any suitable material from which the face of a stuffed doll might be fabricated. This piece will hereafter be referred to as the backing sheet.

The numeral 24 denotes a substantially circular piece of material fixedly secured to backing sheet 22 by means of stitching, adhesive, or the like, and which comprises the eyeball.

With reference now to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the upper peripheral portion of patch 10 is first secured between portions A and B, which are disposed on an axis extending through opposite ends 20 of slit 12, to the backing sheet 22 by means of stitching 30 in such a manner that the upper central portion 14 of the patch is disposed over the eye-ball 24.

After the upper peripheral portion of patch 10 has thus been securely anchored to backing sheet 22, a downward force C is applied to lower central portion 16 for substantially elongating side portions 18 and separating the lower central portion 16 from the upper central portion 14, as in Fig. 4.

The peripheral portions of the patch below points A and B are then permanently secured to the backing sheet such as by means of stitching 32.

With particular reference now to Fig. 4, it will be noted that when lower central portion 16 is pulled downwardly relative to upper central portion 14 the upper central portion 14 will be subjected to lateral compressive forces which cause it to pop upwardly, forwardly and outwardly as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby simulating and forming an overhanging eyelid M. The irregular edge of slit 12 is maintained along the outer periphery of upper eyelid portion 14, thereby simulating' eyelashes.

With further reference to Fig. 4, it will be noted that inner edge 40 of the lower central portion 16 and side portions 18, which in Figs. 1 and 3 was serrated as at 12, is, when subjected to elongating force C, smooth, for defining the sides and bottom of area D which simulates the white portion of an eye to the sides of and below the eye-ball 24.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that I have thus provided a simple yet highly effective eye construction having an eyelid portion which is realistically turned or puckered outwardly over the pupil portion.

To summarize, patch 10 may be considered as an eyeand-eyelid defining element, wherein all those portions thereof, other than the eyelid portion M, of Fig. 4, comprises an eye-defining portion.

What is claimed is:

1. In an eye construction, a backing sheet, an eye-andeyelid defining element fabricated from a single sheet of material having an arcuately shaped serrated slit therein for defining an upper central portion, a lower central portion and side portions, and means securing the lower central portion to the backing sheet with the said lower central portion pulled downwardly and separated from the upper central portion for defining a smooth continuous inner edge to the side and lower central portions below the upper central portion and for simultaneously subjecting the eyelid defining upper central portion to compressive forces which detlect it outwardly from the eye defining portions.

2. The method of constructing a dolls eye which comprises the step of providing an arcuate shaped serrated cut within a generally round piece of material, of securing the upper portion of said piece to a backing sheet, of then subjecting the lower portion of the piece to tension for elongating the lower portion and of then securing the lower portion, in its elongated condition, to the backing sheet.

3. In an eye construction, a backing sheet, an eye-andeyelid defining element fabricated from a single piece of material having an arcuately shaped serrated slit bisecting the vertical axis thereof, means securing the perimeter of said piece above and between the ends of the slit to the backing sheet, and means securing the perimeter of the lower portion of said piece to said sheet under axial tension, and with that upper portion of the piece immediately above said slit projecting outwardly from the plane of said perimeters.

4. The method of constructing a dolls eye which comprises the step of providing an arcuately shaped slit within a generally round piece of material for providing an upper central portion and a lower central portion, of positioning the piece of material upon a backing sheet, of securing the upper portion of said piece to the backing sheet, of then subjecting the. lower central portion of the piece to tension for elongating and separating it from the lower edge of the upper central portion, whereby the upper central portion will be deflected outwardly out of the plane of said piece, and of then securing the lower portion, in its elongated condition, to the backing sheet.

5. The method of constructing a dolls eye which comprises the step of providing an arcuately shaped ser- 3 4 rated slit within a generally round piece of material for of the plane of the piece, and of then securing the lower providing an upper central portion and a lower central portion, in its elongated condition, to the backing sheet. portion, of positioning the piece of material on a backc E inb7 sheet, of securing the upper peripheral portion ofthe References Cited 11'1 the le 0f this Patent piece above theends of the slit to the backing sheet, of 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS subjecting the lower portion of the piece to tension for elongating and separating the lower central portion from yrtz Flyz the upper central portion for simultaneously removing 2,238,455 Steinhber E Apr. 15 1941 the serrations from the inner surface of the lower central portion and deflecting the upper central portion out 10 2667013 Tommarchi et al Jan' 26 1954 

